New Variety of Cauliflower Caulilini™ Launched

Cauliflower, the Gobhi popular in India is the vegetable goes with the potatoes and relished by the many in many parts of India. It is not native of India and has come from England in 1822. Recently the new variety of the cauliflower has been introduced. The whole product is edible – from flower to stem – and the company says it has a tender stalk that turns bright green when cooked.

Mann Packing Company (“Mann’s”) has announced the launch of its proprietary Caulilini Sweetstem Cauliflower along with Kale Cabbage Blend and Sweet Potato “Fettuccine” for foodservice.

Caulilini™ is the newest member of the brassica family, and features long edible stems and blonde, open florets. The whole product is edible – from flower to stem – and the company says it has a tender stalk that turns bright green when cooked. Caulilini™ comes washed and ready to eat, has year-round availability and is offered in a 3x2 lbs. foodservice pack.

Cauliflower has been in cultivation in India since last 150 years. It was introduced from England in 1822 by Dr. Jemson, In-charge of Company Bagh, Saharanpur, U.P. The imported seeds were tested in various parts of India. The growers raised the crop during May to July which corresponded with the growing period in England.

The development of an entirely new cauliflower now termed as Indian cauliflower. The first four Indian varieties listed by Sutton and Sons, India in 1929 were Early and Main Crop Patna and Early and Main Crop Benaras.

In India, cauliflower is grown both in hills and plains and from 11°N to 35°N. Important cauliflower-growing states in India are UP, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab, and Bihar. It is also commonly grown in northern Himalayas and in Nilgiri hills in south. Cauliflower is harvested from August or early September to late February or early March in north Indian plains and from March to November in the hills.

Several varieties of cauliflower, namely, Early Kunwari, PusaDeepali, Pusa Synthetic, Improved Japanese, Pusa Shubhra, PusaHybrid-2, Pusa Snowball-1, Pusa Snowball-2, Snowball-16, PusaSnowball K-1, Pant Shubhra, Pant Gobhi-2, Pant Gobhi-3, Pant Gobhi-4, Punjab Giant-26, Hisar-1, have been developed.

Cauliflower acreage in India is about 2.5 lakh hectares, in which the seed intake potential is 125 tons of OP cultivars and 45 tons of hybrid cultivars and market value of this seed comes at Rs. 85 crores. The current traded seed market of cauliflower seed in India is about Rs. 55 crores. The hybrid seed is imported from Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea.

Last year, Mann’s put together a formal Chef Panel from a wide range of culinary backgrounds to provide feedback and insight on new products.

After being in field trials for over a year, we’re thrilled to introduce this amazing cauliflower variety to the world, the result of a development partnership with Aruba Seed,” said Rick Russo, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, & Product Management at Mann’s. “Caulilini™ is as striking on the plate as it is on the palate. It adds texture and high-end visual appeal to everything from veg-centric entrees to creative appetizers, and is already creating a lot of buzz with chefs,” Russo added.

The Kale Cabbage Blend is a mixture of green cabbage, broccoli stems, shaved Brussels sprouts, kale and radicchio, while the Sweet Potato “Fettuccine” is a wide, flat ribbon cut. According to the company, it can be used as a pasta substitute, wrap filling or baked into desserts.  

Mann’s has also introduced two other new foodservice items: Kale Cabbage Blend and Sweet Potato “Fettuccine”.